At The Very Least, Tier 8
by FellUnderTheBust
Summary: Princess Bubblegum has hurt her back! It seems serious too, so Finn is determined to help her feel better. Jake, however, is less than willing for a number of reasons.


**A little something I cooked up to celebrate Bubbline becoming canon! I hope you enjoy this little bit, and even perhaps give some constructive criticism while you're at it. Any thoughts at all about how you liked or disliked this story (straight up flaming withheld of course) is much appreciated. Enjoy! I will return to writing To Kill an Albatross now.**

**Edit: For those who, surprisingly, don't know, look up the video "Olivia Spills the Beans on PB and Marceline". It'll give you the answer you crave.**

Finn walked with determination down the halls of the Candy Kingdom. His arms were lifted up, pumping back and forth as he went. Jake followed sluggishly behind, trying hard to keep up with the energetic young boy.

"Dude," Jake yawned hugely, "What're we doin' here so early?" The time was eight in the morning and it was a Saturday. When Finn had woken him up just an hour prior, insisting that they go _right that moment_ to the Candy Kingdom, Jake was less than pleased. Especially since Finn had yet to tell him why they were here instead of in bed in the first place.

Finn continued down the hall, undeterred by his pal's petty questions. He walked faster, his strides becoming wider. Jake began to fall behind, his body unwilling to wake up at such an ungodly hour during a weekend. "C'mon, man!" Jake whined, "Its Saturday, what's the rush!?"

"PB needs us, man!" Finn finally answered, "She hurt her back last night tryin' to do some heavy liftin' jazz. We gotta help her feel better."

Instantly, Jake was awake. Whatever Finn had planned to do to "help PB feel better", it was obviously going to lead him nowhere pleasant. He hurried to catch up to the determined boy, stretching himself out in order to make up the space. "I don't think that's such a smart idea dude," said Jake, pressing his paws together nervously, "That kinda biz is left to self-help and some resting, dude. Why don't you, y'know, leave her be for once?"

"But I brought a heating pad!" Finn brandished the rectangular pad for Jake to see. The dog rubbed his face and groaned very audibly, "Don't worry dude. I promise, this is just between friends."

"Just between friends at eight in the morning on a Saturday?" Jake reiterated, irritation clear in his voice. He really couldn't let that part go; sleep was very important to him, and to have it taken away was one of the most heinous things a person could to in his opinion. "Finn..."

"Re_laaax,_ man."

They reached the Princess' door a few minutes later. Jake continued to protest their presence here, and Finn continued to either ignore him. At some point, Finn had abandoned his more solid reasoning for being here and decided to come up with more, somewhat less feasible excuses. They varied, but were ultimately unnecessary and often unrelated to why Finn said they were here in the first place: he was trying to protect the Princess from secret assassins. There was a weird fungus going around and it only affected candy people. _Aliens!_ The reasons got more ridiculous from there. Jake was sure even before now that Finn was still hung up on Princess Bubblegum, but at this point it was absolutely ridiculous.

One last time, Jake tried to make the boy turn back, "She won't appreciate you barging into her chambers while she's resting, man!" Finn's hand was on the doorknob, ready to turn it and push the door open. He paused his actions to turn to Jake, a look of understanding on his face.

"Yeah, you're probably right. It's wrong to just charge in unannounced, even if I'm tryin' to help out."

Jake sighed in relief; for a moment, he thought he'd have to get physical just to get Finn out of here. "Great, now can we go home now? I really want to get back to my Saturday nap."

"Sure," said Finn. He lifted up the heating pad for Jake to see, "Just as soon as we deliver this to her. I still want to make sure she gets better."

Jake groaned loudly, throwing his paws at the ground in frustration. "Fine, whatever man. Let's just get this over with so we can get outta here."

With a contented smile, Finn knocked on the door. He waited for a few seconds, and no answer came from the other side. Finn tried again, wrapping on the floor a total of fifteen times, and waited. Again, his knocks went unanswered.

"She's probably sleeping, man," said Jake, "Let's just give the pad to Peppermint Butler or somethin' and leave."

"Ooor…" Finn began, and a new kind of frustration flared in Jake's chest, "she could be in so much pain that she can't get out of bed! We gotta check it out, man."

Paws gripped Finn's face and squished his cheeks together, "Dude," he pulled Finn closer, "You're takin' this a little far. I know you still have a weird thing for Bubblegum, but this is a bit too much work just to get into her room."

Finn frowned, his brows scrunching together, and he pushed Jake's paws away. "I do _not_ have a thing for Bubblegum anymore. I'm just—worried about her. She's still my friend, right? I wanna be sure she's okay." He placed a hand flat on his heart, "Ain't nothin' in here man. Nothin' but platonic friendship feels." When Jake gave him a disbelieving look, Finn added an earnest "I promise."

"Eeeh," Jake considered briefly, "I guess...but let me check on her, all right?"

"Sure, man."

Jake pressed his ear against the door and listened. It was difficult to hear, even with his sensitive doggy ears, so he squeezed his ear into the keyhole. When it popped out into the other side of the door, he discovered why the Princess wasn't coming to the door. It certainly had something to do with her back, and it was certainly hurt, he could tell that much. However…

A voice, as smooth as silk and speaking very gently, asked a simple question, "Where does it hurt the most?" Jake recognized the voice right away, but his mind refused to comprehend it. He had to see it for himself so he could believe it. He shrunk his head down and fitted it through the keyhole, ignoring the high-pitched shriek from Finn. ("Dude, that's pervy!")

The room was dark, the windows covered by large black sheets. A bluish glow managed to cut through and illuminate the room, if only a bit. It was enough for Jake to be able to get a good look at the room. The first thing he noticed was the pair of long skinny jeans pooled on the floor at the foot of the bed, along with a pair of red sneakers.

Jake turned his attention directly toward the bed and the people who lay in it.

_People._ More than one. Two to be exact. Jake stretched his neck up to give himself and bird's eye view of the room. His ears had not deceived him; Marceline was in bed with the Princess. Even shrouded in semi-darkness, that mass of long, inky black hair was unmistakable. She was sitting on top of Bubblegum, who lay on her stomach with her face nested in her arms. Her back was bare, Marceline's hands splayed out like starfish against the pink flesh and rubbing. A soft moan rumbled in Bubblegum's throat.

"Here's good?" asked Marceline, continuing her ministrations. Another small groan confirmed that Marceline's current actions were more than efficient. "Ugh—only _you_ could hurt yourself lifting up _beakers_."

"It was _several_ boxes of them," Bubblegum argued, her voice slurred and sluggish. "And…well, I mmm…miscalculated how much weight my body could bare."

Marceline laughed lightly, "Obviously. Dork."

"Shut up and keep massaging…ooh…a little lower please."

"Yes, _dear_," Marceline mocked lightly, though her voice held mirth. There was a small popping noise, and Princess Bubblegum groaned in contentment.

Sure that he'd seen enough, Jake retreated back into the keyhole. Finn was waiting for him on the other side. Ever anxious, Finn remarked, "You were in there a long time, dude! What did you see?" He was a little too eager for the information.

Jake contemplated what he had seen for a few moments. He decided not to read too much into whatever had been going on in the Princess' room, specifically with Finn in his presence. "Uh, she's just sleeping. Like a rock. Thought I saw her waking up, but it was a false alarm…that was…why I was in there so long. Yeah."

Finn's lips pressed into a thin line, "That's it, for real?"

"As for real as my tummy is soft, dude." He laughed as he patted his fat belly.

The answer was obviously not satisfactory for the boy, but Jake wasn't going to offer anything better than that. He managed to coax Finn into leaving the heating pad for the two monarchs to discover on their own, in front of the bedroom doors, and they went back home. Jake, needless to say, was looking forward to finally returning to his Saturday nap.

Although he had promised himself he wouldn't, but Jake's mind was nothing if not something unrestrainable. The closer they got to home, the more he had to wonder which tier his two friends were currently on at the moment. He knew that, even given how close they appeared to be in the bedroom, he was being a tad presumptuous, but it was a thought he was absolutely loving to entertain.

When he got home, his thoughts were so consumed that he couldn't sleep a wink.


End file.
